'Cain' alerts homeowner to fire, then needs to be rescued himself

A Long Island woman is alive thanks to her pit bull, who authorities say saved her from her burning home.

Jackie Bonasera told New York TV station WNBC she was drying her hair in an upstairs bathroom Friday when she heard the dog barking. She ran downstairs and saw the flames on the side of her garage.

Bonasera was able to escape, but quickly realized her pit bull, named Cain, wasn't with her.

"Then I thought about the dog -- I'm like, 'He saved my life, I have to save his.' So I just put my robe over my face and I ran back in and I grabbed the dog and then I stood out here and I watched my house burn,'" she told WNBC.

It took more than 70 firefighters from five departments to put the fire out.

Authorities aren't yet sure what caused the blaze, but don't believe it is suspicious.

Bonasera's daughter, Alexus Stallworth, called Cain "the town hero."

"He's a pit bull, too," she told WNBC. "They have such bad reps, but he's such a good boy."